Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to apparatus for loading magazine fed firearms with ammunition, and more particularly to an apparatus that facilitates loading rounds from a magazine from a plurality of magazines bundled by a multi-magazine manifold, where in the invented apparatus facilitates easier change from one magazine to a next magazine without taking eyesight off of a target.
Background
Magazines for firearms having a magazine well, as exemplified by the AR-15, vary in size depending on the application. In general military AR rifles typically would hold from about 30 rounds of ammunition up to about to about 100 rounds, depending on the caliber. Normally, the rounds are held in a single removable magazine that is secured in the magazine-well of the receiver. A magazine above about 60 rounds becomes very long and weighty, and the magazine is difficult to be effectively manned by most personnel. If the caliber is 45 or higher, the count can be lower, and the ammunition is instead often fed on a belt or mechanically automated. Civilian AR rifles tend to be limited to smaller magazines, typically holding from 5 to 30 rounds. Legislation in multiple states limits the round count to 10 rounds per magazine.
In the current specification, the term “magazine” is used throughout the specification to be inclusive of the term “clip” and other terms for prepackaged ammunition for firearms. The term “firearm” is used throughout the specification to be inclusive of a barreled weapon, including replicas, novelty firearms, mock firearms, gaming firearms such as paint ball guns, computerized guns, toys guns, pressurized gas propelled guns, and virtual guns that are digital representations.
A problem with a low round count and an automatic firearm, as exemplified by an AR-15, AR-16, Uzi and AK-47, is that with a short burst of fire the entire magazine can be emptied, and as the firearm fires the recoil tends to lift the barrel, especially if the magazine has a small round count. The recoil must be physically countered by the shooter, and can be actually harder to control than a firearm loaded with a larger heavier magazine, because the weight of the magazine helps to offset the recoil. To be armed, the shooter has to replace an emptied magazine with another magazine that contains rounds of ammunition, and the shooter's capability of aligning the magazine with the magazine-well is more difficult as the shooter becomes tired. The magazine-well is approximately rectangular, with a closed front side, a closed back side, an open bottom side and a top side that feeds to the firearm's chamber. The current prior art teaches that magazines can be coupled into groups, not unlike packaging, where the magazines are stacked and sometimes spaced. The prior art is silent on how coupled magazines can be utilized with an apparatus that facilitates their usage.